fitnessprincess’s BodyBlog

I get asked a lot by friends and folks interested in doing figure what I do and therefore what do you need to do in order to compete? So, I thought it might be worthwhile blogging on this topic. Many people seem to think that all that’s involved is dieting down or dieting down and exercising. There’s quite a bit more required if you really want to do it right - enjoy the process and feel good about your very short time on the competition stage.

So here are the key elements:

1) Diet - key elements here? a diet filled with healthy, whole foods (meat, poultry, veggies, fruits, and breads/crackers) that delivers the right amount of calories and the right macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, healthy fats, vitamins, minerals) in the right amounts! And please note we are not talking starvation diet here ladies! unless you want saggy, baggy, unhealthy looking skin and no muscles when you stand on the stage in your little bitty competition suit! For a variety of reasons not the least of which is our modern world and what we have done to the animals and plants on it, you are going to need to use supplements and I am not talking about fat burners here (no such thing by the way ladies!). I mean vitamins, minerals, amino acids, creatine.

2) Exercise program - key elements here? solid, old-fashioned weight training with heavy weight DBs, Bbs and some cardio (mix of HIIT, plyometrics, and ss cardio). Your program should not be hours of cardio each day ladies. You should be working your whole body and your workouts should emphasize compound exercises like deadlifts, squats, lunges, etc. 

3) Stress management - yoga (also great core training!) - I got introduced to yoga by Cathy Savage Fitness’ Ms. P (my eternal thanks lady!), adequate rest, and sleep!!! You have to manage your stress if you want to lose weight, maintain your sanity, and your health and get up on that stage!

4) Posing - It may look to you like those figure ladies are just standing up there, smiling, and all relaxed but that’s far from the truth! To get the most out of your physique you have to flex your muscles and it isn’t easy and you have to figure out how to do this in such a way that it emphasizes the best aspects of your hard won physique and hides your flaws (everyone has some by the way! everyone!). Walking in 4" high heels isn’t easy either and you have to make it look that way smiling the whole time. All of this takes practice - months of practice! in your high heels in front of a mirror! and near the end in your posing suit.

5) Appearance - posing suit, makeup, hair, tanning, fingernails. To compete in figure you need to get a figure suit (these aren’t cheap!) and these typically have to be ordered 10-12 weeks in advance of your competition date. Even if you tan outside or in a tanning bed (I hope you don’t do the latter - very bad for your skin’s health!) you will need to learn how to apply competition tanner so you look nice and dark on the day of your competition (your tan needs to look ridiculously dark but will look great under the harsh stage lights). You will need makeup (many women use false eyelashes) that compliments your figure suit, hair, etc. Lots to learn and lots to do here and you can’t do it at the last minute.

Many of us hire a coach to help us navigate the labyrinth of figure prep.  Some folks hire someone to help them with diet. Others hire someone to help them with training. Still others hire a coach who will help them with diet, exercise, and some of the other elements of figure prep including suit selection, makeup, tanning, posing training, etc.  You can get a coach who will design a program for you on-line.  Of course, it is harder to get assistance with certain elements, e.g., proper exercise form, posing, etc. many of us use this approach (on-line coaching).

Diet: 100%

100% Apetite: good

goodMood: good

goodEnergy: tired but that’ OK it’s my rest day - had a nice nap with Nikki

tired but that’ OK it’s my rest day - had a nice nap with NikkiMental Focus: good

goodMuscle Soreness: some - glutes sore

some - glutes soreWorkout: rest day

rest day

12-oz cans sold in a six-pack of aluminum cans for $5.69 (not including $0.30 bottle deposit) at Whole Foods. A bit expensive but if you want a diet root beer that doesn’t contain artificial sugar then perhaps the cost is worth it. You have to decide what you are willing to pay and what you are going to put inside your body. Zevia is marketing a pretty wide range of diet soda flavors including root beer, black cherry, traditional cola, orange, gingerale, and a lemon-lime twist. For my first foray I decided to try my favorite flavor: root beer.

Diet: 100%

100% Apetite: good

goodMood: good

goodEnergy: good

goodMental Focus: good

goodMuscle Soreness: none

noneWorkout: 45-min 322-cal HRM manual step mill SM916 50-60 step/min 3.15-mi 151-floors

45-min 322-cal HRM manual step mill SM916 50-60 step/min 3.15-mi 151-floors

Diet: 100%

100% Apetite: good

goodMood: good

goodEnergy: good, really good

good, really good Mental Focus: good

goodMuscle Soreness: none

noneWorkout: day #1 workout with 2 circuits 1-h 9-min 510-cal HRM

day #1 workout with 2 circuits 1-h 9-min 510-cal HRM

Yesterday was the NPC Masters Nationals. Two of my on-line friends were competing for the first time: Fern Assard and Kim Mitchell. Fern blogs on Bbing.com (URL:  http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/MsFitness/)   and Kim blogs independently (URL:  http://figurecompetition.blogspot.com/ ). They are both amazing women whom I really admire. What was really cool is that SiouxCountry.com posted blow-by-blow photos and commentary all day yesterday during the prejudging and the evening finals. If you aren’t familiar with SiouxCountry.com it’s a terrific discussion board and resource for women figure and bodybuilding competitors. Thanks so much ladies for all your hard work yesterday. I, for one, really appreciated/enjoyed it! I think while I am at here I will put in a plug for MuscleDevelopment.com which posts competition photos and results for major NPC (National Physique Committee) events such as the Masters Nationals. If you are new to figure, it is a great idea to review photos from last year’s competition. In most of the larger federations, photos from competitions, individual and comparison, are posted online. You can really learn a lot from reviewing these. You can get a sense of how large the competition is, how many folks competed in your category/class last year, how many classes there were, what the competitors wore (how much bling, suit styles, shoes - platform or not, jewelry, etc.), tanning, makeup, hairstyles, posing (be careful though not everyone poses correctly or does it well), what type of physiques were rewarded by the judges (hard, soft, striated, not striated, etc.). Assuming the venue is the same, you’ll get a good sense of what the stage will look like, the lighting, etc.

Diet: 100%

100% Apetite: hungry - maybe due to my impending period?

hungry - maybe due to my impending period?Mood: good

goodEnergy: tired but that’ OK it’s my rest day

tired but that’ OK it’s my rest dayMental Focus: good

goodMuscle Soreness: none

noneWorkout: rest day

rest dayOther: I think I might see some evidence of shoulder growth and I think I am beginning to have little quad nubbies ooh! sweet! I so want boulder-shoulders LOL!
Today marks 6 weeks with Noel and 4 weeks of dieting.  It has been pretty smooth sailing for me - so different from my last prep.  Absolutely no comparison.  Tomorrow I plan to tak progress photos.  Eager to see what the camera sees.

I think I might see some evidence of shoulder growth and I think I am beginning to have little quad nubbies ooh! sweet! I so want boulder-shoulders LOL! Today marks 6 weeks with Noel and 4 weeks of dieting.  It has been pretty smooth sailing for me - so different from my last prep.  Absolutely no comparison.  Tomorrow I plan to tak progress photos.  Eager to see what the camera sees.

My recent negative experiences with "Dr." Joe have led me to think a lot about the issue of rebounding.  In a sense my whole competition prep with him was a lesson in rebounding as I was set up from the very start for failure.  If you are preparing for a competition, I would urge you to look carefully at your diet and exercise patterns as you diet down for your competition and to make sure that you have a plan for backing out of your competition both in terms of your diet and exercise.  I am convinced that you can do this without putting on excess weight and without feeling miserable.  I have seen some women do it but I am convinced it is because they followed a few sound principles which I would like to share in this post.

1.  Make sure you eat breakfast.  Turns out one of the most common characteristics among bingers is that they don’t eat breakfast.  While mentally you may think that by omitting your morning nutrition you are saving calories, you are setting up a cascade of biological processes in your body that are going to lead to depressed metabolic rate, increased hunger, low blood sugar, etc.  Eat a good mix of protein, complex carbs and healthy fat -a couple eggwhites, a whole egg (good for you), and oatmeal or ezekiel bread will do the trick nicely here.

2.  Get your sleep.  Burning the candle at both ends will also set in motion some unwanted biochemical processes that won’t help you.  Believe it or not, folks who get 8-9 h of uninterrupted sleep have been shown to lose more weight so get your shut eye!

3.  Eat!  If you have been dieting on less than 1200 calories you are setting yourself up for a metabolic nightmare.  Walk away from any coach who has you dieting at low calories for an extended period of time.  This will depress your metabolic rate, likely lead to nutritional imbalances, and a myriad of health problems. 

4.  Nix the artificial sugar.  If you hold a Walden Farms Platinum visa card you are setting yourself up for a metabolic nightmare.  Artificial sugars DO have calories.  A packet of splenda is 2.5 calories and if you use multiple packages, you can do the math.  A cup of splenda has 96 calories and 27 totally wasted carbohydrates.  A number of recent studies suggest that the body does in fact react to artificial sugars much in the same way it does to sugar and appears to stoke the sugar fire/produce sugar cravings in some individuals.  A number of people have reported a wide range of allergic responses to splenda.  Walk away.

5.  Drink plenty of fluids including water.  Your body is primarily composed of water.  Water is essential for all of the fundamental biochemical processes that occur in your body.  It is essential for good health.  Many people are chronically dehydrated.  They cannot distinguish between thirst and hunger.  Often when you think you are hungry, you are actually thirsty.  Water has ZERO calories.  Drinking plenty of water has been shown to stoke the metabolism.  Drink up! 

6.  Don’t try to compensate (diet/exercise) for overeating.  Listen to your body!  Don’t over-exercise in an effort to burn off any food you may have consumed during a binge.  This is guaranteed to result in exhaustion and to contribute to subsequent binging.  If you do more cardio in an effort to compensate, listen to your body and if you are hungry, eat!  Do not purposely miss a meal or under eat as this strategy is guaranteed to back fire and lead to further binging. 

7.  Immediately following your competition take a few days off from the gym and allow your body to recover.  Your hard-won muscles won’t atrophy overnight -guaranteed!  In fact, by resting you will really help yourself to stay on track in terms of your diet.  Competing is extremely hard work - very stressful for your body.  Following competition, your body is tired/exhausted/beat up and will rebel and demand more food if you insist on overdoing it by going back at it full throttle in the gym.

8.  Remember you can’t put on a significant amount of weight by overeating in one day.  It takes a series of poor days to put on weight so if you do binge, get back on track in terms of your diet and exercise program as soon as possible.

Final thoughts:  if things do get out of control, take a deep breath.  You really aren’t alone.  You aren’t the first nor unfortunately will you be the last person to experience rebound.  Reach out to your coach and if that’s not working reach out to the greater community as help IS out there.  Anyone who has undergone the demands of dieting down for competition CAN get back on track and you CAN lose any unwanted weight you have gained.  Big hug!  I know - sigh - I HAVE been there!

I think choosing a good coach is difficult. I have made my share of mistakes (Klemczewski was a huge mistake. If you hire him, you have been warned.) and I hope that I have been candid about this in my blog. Be careful in selecting a coach. There are many out there and coaching isn’t cheap. A couple worth investigating are Cathy Savage, Terry Stokes, and Erik Ledin (Lean Bodies Consulting)

If you are planning on hiring one, try to find out exactly what their approach is to:

program - what exactly will your coach provide and in what time frame? can you email them daily? call them? will they answer daily? will your coach provide you with a diet and a workout? with updates to these and with what frequency?

diet - There are a couple general approaches either providing macros (gm protein, gm carbs, gm fat) or providing a complete meal-by-meal diet. With either approach how much food do you get to eat? (Is it a starvation diet?) What foods do you get to eat? (are there forbidden foods - e.g., fruits, cheese, bread, etc.) Are you going to get variety? Are you going to get to eat the foods you like or are you going to be on the orange roughy/tilapia/chicken and broccoli diet?

supplements - are they pill pushers? if so, what pills do they want/expect you to take? so-called fat burners? other drugs? How much do these pills cost? (by the way imo if they are pushing pills you are looking at the wrong coach, you should be able to diet down without taking crap - and I am a chemist so when I say crap that’s what it is: crap!)

workouts - are they old-school free-weight based or foo-foo-bosu-puff weight workouts? How many workouts per week (3/wk)? For how long? (1 hr at most per session if you want to keep your muscle while dieting) You should receive new programs every 4-6 weeks.

cardio - how many hours of cardio are you expected to do - be careful here the more cardio you do yes the more fat you lose but also you lose precious muscle and figure is ALL ABOUT muscle. Are you expected to do 1-h/day? I have even heard of women doing 2-h/day - ridiculous in my opinion

Do they provide assistance in suit selection, tanning, shoes, makeup, posing? Are they going to charge you extra for these services? HOW MUCH!

What support, if any, do they provide you post-comp? ESSENTIAL - rebound is an all too common phenomenon and not at all fun. Will the coach provide you a diet to help you back out of your competition or are you going to be on your own?

cost - how much$$? Are the fees outlined upfront or hidden?

contract - are you required to sign a contract? what rights does the contract give you in terms of termination of the contract? what rights does it give your coach?

All of this said, I will be the first to say it is easy to make a bad choice and it can be a very bad one - financially and healthwise. I got ripped off financially by the "good" "Dr. Joe" - he soaked me upfront for a year of "coaching." Then I paid for 12-weeks of figure posing coaching - got 5 weeks and on top of that he assessed me extra for video posing sessions! And if all of this weren’t bad enough, I paid for 6-mos of workouts and got one written program, which I followed the whole damn time! Healthwise, I lost my period, developed low blood iron, and post-comp had a hell-of-a-rebound from which I am only now recovering. Luckily for me taking in more cals restored my period and my heme iron. Financially, well there’s no protection currently in the law against this type of malpractice. I am working however to see that laws are put in place for the "on-line" coaching industry so this will never happen to anyone else. In the meantime, go slow. Ask around. And if you aren’t happy with things get out - your health is too precious.

Diet: 100%

100%Mood: good

goodEnergy: good

goodMental Focus: good

goodMuscle Soreness: legs sore

legs soreWorkout: 45-min ss cardio step mill 3.25-mi 156-floors 339-cal HRM

45-min ss cardio step mill 3.25-mi 156-floors 339-cal HRMOther: good day all around. walked back from my WW meeting and stopped at the Farmer’s Market. I got yellow squash, a magnificent zucchini (one worthy of stuffing like the ones my parents used to grow!), three kinds of apples, and baby cauliflower.

good day all around. walked back from my WW meeting and stopped at the Farmer’s Market. I got yellow squash, a magnificent zucchini (one worthy of stuffing like the ones my parents used to grow!), three kinds of apples, and baby cauliflower.